The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-07-29

/ For week East Chesterviiie was in
| condition Of fermcnt The resurrcc
ton Of Elisha Snow in the form of 9
| millionaire. after having departed
twenty years before with . reputation
for unconquerable laxiness. and an
ability only remarkable for imbibing
hard cider. was enough to shake the
entire country to its center. Then his
magnificent bequests-the town library
building. the new organ. raising the
ministers salary. proposing to estab.
lish Home for Incurable ldiots-for
poor Elisha found he could not stop
promising when he had once begun.
and his plan to build new gym
nasium. skating rink. winter bath. all
combined. for the young people. made
him at once the idol of the town.
Mawlcy, the mill-owner. met Amasa
one day in the street. '.See here" he
said. "Tve told Slayton to let up on
you. You and 1 were always old
friends. Pay up tho interest on that
mortgage any time you please. BY the
~. I'm tired of Slayton. He's
bounded you, when You were down. in
a darned mean way. I'm sick of Stay
ton. I'll send you round retainer to-
morrow of five hundred dollars in a
case I've got against some Provi-
dence people. Big case-big money in
it How's your brother?-pretty well.
l hope. Those California magnates
arc all coming East, I hear. Think
your brother would like to put any
money in my millP A big chance now.
don't need the money. but it don't
pay to keep all your eggs in one basket.
How's Bessie? GoOd-morning."
mir. Mawlcy. one moment. You
don't let up on me and send me this
lawsuit because Elisha is millionaire,
do you?"
"Oh. no. no, no! My dear fellow,
no. no! Why. what an idea! Blythe
way. I never favored the breaking of
of that match-my son and Bessie.
Good-day."
Amasa Snow got round behind the
fence and laughed and shook until the
entire fence laughed and shook with
him. His little scheme was working
well. Ono needs very little capital in
this world if one can only obtain its
substitute That week and the
next he had retainers sent him from
several wealthy proprietors in neigh
boring manufacturing town. They had
heard Of his brothers millions. He had
the foreclosure suit discontinued. paid
Mawley his interest. got his mortgage
extended indefinitely. What is more.
his business picked up SO that he paid
a large sum on account all around
among his creditors They all said:
elisha is doing it for him." He
painted and refarnished the old Snow
House. He ran slightly into debt in
doing it. but his girls had some new
clothes sent them from New York. He
donncd a new suit of broad-cloth, and
he was happy. He was on his feet.
Slayton was utterly nonplussed. In
vain the willy practitioner went about
j spreading doubts as to Elisha's having
amy money whatever. ''Why don't he
buy that organ?" he kept saying. until
people began to wonder why indeed.
As soon as the rumor spread about
that Elisha was childless, and that he
intended leaving his money in equal
shares to his six nicces, they went off
literally like hot cakes. Mawley jun
ior. who really loved the girl, married
Bessie. and then they were all married
off in patches of two, until the young
est refused to marry at all, saying, with
her finger at her lip. ''she preferred to
stay with her father"
In one year all this happened.
Amasa Snow was now successful
| man-his debts paid and his practice
increasing. One day the rumor reached
h.n,-why had not Elisha paid for that
organ?
He went to Elisha. ..It's time," he
said, ''for you to disappear"
I'm very contented here. protested
Elisha, reading the newspapers and
sitting in the hotel. 1t agrees with
me. don't want to disappear.
He liked the adulation extended to
him on the ground that he was mil
lionairc. He played the easy, well-fed,
rich plutocrat rcvisiting his New Eng
land home to perfection. His acting
was consummate, because it was nature
itself. without mirror being held up
to it. He had just that amount of mar
rowness, of close-istcdness, Of Saga
cious doubt as to the motives of men
who approached him with schemes for
investment; he acted the millionaire to
perfection, and he never overlid it.
! 'Amasa, I can't CO." he said.
"They think I'm such a good man to
make money. They have actually
brought money to me to make more
for them. Yes. I've received over fifty
thousand dollars for investment within
the last month"
Thunder and guns" exclaimed
Amasa. This is dreadful! I see State
prison yawning before us!''
ats just what the Grand American
Spread-eagle Mine needs" said Elisha,
spreading himself out-"a lille mon
ey."
"Well. take the money and 60, then
go! / will have nothing to do with
this-nothing!"
Amasa was very angry. He resolved
to be responsible for his brother no
longer. He went to his daughters, all